Hinge assembly

ABSTRACT

A HINGE, PARTICULARLY OF THE TYPE EMPLOYED IN SECURING TOILET SEATS, AND TOILET SEAT COVERS TO TOILETS, IS PROVIDED WITH SPRING ACTION PIN WHICH CAN BE REMOVED FOR EASY DISASSEMBLY OF THE UNIT.

March 9, 1971 I. HALDPOULOS 3,568,228

I HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 24, 1969 ZSheets-Sheet 1" no.1 &\\\\\\\\\\\ m FIG.4" FIG.5

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ATTORNEY HINGE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. '24; 1969 United States Patent O 3,568,223 HINGE ASSEMBLY Ioakim Haldopoulos, Louisville, Ky., assignor to American Standard Inc., New York, N.Y. Filed Feb. 24, 1969, Ser. No. 801,593 Int. Cl. A47k 13/12 US. Cl. 4236 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hinge, particularly of the type employed in securing toilet seats, and toilet seat covers to toilets, is provided with spring action pin which can be removed for easy disassembly of the unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of invention This invention relates to a hinge assembly, and more particularly to a toilet seat and seat cover hinge.

Description of the prior art SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that through the use of an integrally formed'spring on the hinge pin, a toilet seat hinge can be provided which is easy to disassemble when so desired, while providing the requisite structural strength.

The toilet seat hinge includes a main body portion which is provided with a hinge pin receiving passage and means for attaching the body portion to a toilet bowl. The toilet seat is provided with a pin receiving passage which is coaxial with said body portion-hinge pin receiving passage and coaxial with a pin receiving passage in the toilet seat cover. The pin is provided with an enlargement at one end which has a diameter substantially greater than that of the toilet seat, toilet seat cover, and body portion passages and at least one resilient region proximate the other end. A collar member is provided around said pin in the proximity of said other end, said collar having an outer diameter approximately equal to the diameter of one of said passages, and an inner diameter approximately equal to the diameter of said pin. The diameter of the resilient region of the pin being greater than the inner diameter of said collar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood as the description of the invention proceeds,. particularly when read together with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate similar parts throughout the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a complete assembly;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a toilet seat, hinge and seat cover with their passages aligned;

FIG. 3 corresponds to FIG. 2, with the addition of a collar inserted in the toilet seat passage;

3,568,223 Patented Mar. 9, 1971 FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of another modification of a toilet seat passage and collar;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a still further modification of a toilet seat passage and collar;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of still another modification of a toilet seat passage and collar;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a further modification of a pin receiving passage;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section of a hinge assembly;

FIG. 10 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the hinge body portion and cover cap;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the hinge body of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the cover cap of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The assembly of FIG. 1 shows a hinge 10 positioned between a downwardly extending portion 12 of a toilet seat cover 14, and a passage containing region of a toilet seat 16. A pin member 18, in combination with a collar member 19, serves to hold together the toilet seat, seat cover and hinge.

As seen in FIG. 2, the toilet seat cover has a passage or hole 20, which passes through the downwardly extending section 12.

Passage 20 is coaxially aligned with passage or hole 22 in the hinge 10, which in turn is coaxially aligned with the passage or hole 24 in the toilet seat 16. The diameters of the passages 20 and 22 of the toilet seat cover 14 and the hinge 10 are substantially equal, while the diameter of the passage 24 is significantly larger than the diameter of the passage 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, a collar 30 which is cylindrical in configuration is positioned in the passage 24. The outer diameter of the collar 30 is greater than the diameter of the adjacent passage 22 and therefore is held in place by the hinge 10, or at least cannot pass through the hinge 10.

The collar 30 can be dimensioned with respect to passage 24 such that a press-fit exists. In order to prevent the collar from working loose during use and sliding freely into passage 24, a collar 40 can be used, as shown in FIG. 4, which is provided with an outwardly extending flange region 42 which fits into a corresponding groove 44in the toilet seat 16, or as shown in FIG. 5, rests against the outer surface 50 of toilet seat 16.

Advantageously, the passage 24 can have a first region which corresponds in length and diameter with the collar 30 and a second region which has a diameter less than the outer diameter of the collar 30. A shoulder 60 is thus provided which precludes the inward movement of the collar 30.

The assembly, which includes the toilet seat 16, the hinge 10 and the seat cover 14, are locked together by the pin 18. The enlarged head 17 of the pin 18 provides a grasping surface by means of which the pin can manually be removed from its position and which also serves to prevent the axial movement of the pin in the direction of the seat 16.

The bifurcated end 15 of the pin 18 contains a pair of outwardly extending, tapered extremities 11 which prevent the pin from moving axially out of the passage 24. The bifurcated end 15 of the pin 18 must provide sufiicient resiliency so that the enlargements, or extensions 11, can be forced into the collar 30, thus permitting the pin to be withdrawn from the assembly.

It is advantageous to provide the enlargements 11 with a tapered region 11a so that the pin can be wedged or forced through the several passages 20 and 22 and into the collar 30, and another tapered region 11b so that the pin can be similarly withdrawn. The collar 30 advantageously can be provided with an internal bevel or chamfer at one or both ends. This serves not only to provide for ease of removal and insert, but also minimizes wear. Preferably the pin is made of a resilient polymeric material such as polyethylene, polypropylene and acetal homopolymers and copolymers. However, when the collar 30 is made of a rigid metal, it is possible for the sharp edge of the collar to wear down the enlargements 11 to such an extent that they are virtually functionless.

It should be noted that the order of arrangement of the parts is not critical and the hinge can be positioned as the outermost element or the innermost element, as well as the middle element, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

It is not essential that the entire body portion of the pin 18 be uniform in diameter. For example, the region of the pin 18 which is in the passage of the seat cover 14 can be larger than that of the portion which is in passage 22. of the hinge 10, which in turn can be larger than that of the portion which is in the collar The outer diameter of the collar 30 should, however, be greater than the diameter of the adjacent passage (passage 22 in the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) so that it cannot be pulled out of the passage 24, along with the pin 18, when the pin is being removed.

Alternatively to the use of a collar, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, the passage 24 can be provided with one or more enlarged regions or recesses 70 which serve to receive the enlarged ends 11 of the pin 18. Although the recesses 70 serve the same purpose as the various collars described heretofore, a more complicated molding technique must be employed in order to produce recess 70.

In the case of the molding of a plastic seat 16, a vertically moving molding pin would have to be employed in addition to the axially moving molding pin which produces the passage 24. To produce the recesses 70 of FIGS. 7 and 8, the vertically movable pin would have to have a groove in its upper end which accommodates the axially movable pin, thus permitting the two pins to be in their respective positions simultaneously. Alternatively, the axially movable pin could be provided with a vertical passage or hole through which a vertically movable pin could pass.

As shown in FIG. 9, the hinge member can be provided with means for fixing the assembly to a water closet in the manner disclosed in copending patent application, Ser. No. 613,354, filed Feb. 1, 1967 now U.S. Pat. 3,449,- 774, issued on June 17, 1969 in the name of Larry Wilham.

The screw head 92 receiving'region 94 of the hinge 10* is shown covered by means of a cover cap 90. The cover cap 90 has a first downwardly extending projection or flange 100 positioned a short distance from a first end of the cover cap. The projection 100 is substantially rectangular in configuration as viewed in side elevation in FIGS. 9 and 10 and as seen in the bottom view of FIG. 12.

The other end of the cover cap 90 is provided with a downwardly extending flange 102 which tapers outwardly in the downward direction.

The hinge 10 is provided with a first inner-wall 110 which cooperates with the projection 100 and a secondopposite-inner-wall 112 which cooperates with the flange 102. When 100 and 102 of the cover cap 90 are forced into the recess region 94, a compression force is developed because the distance between the walls 110 and 112 is less than the distance bet-ween the outer edges 101'and 103 of the flanges 100 and 102 respectively.

Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure is of preferred forms and is made only by way of example, and that various changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of 4 parts can be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of 'the invention.

For example, a conventional screw and nut can be employed in lieu of the type of structure of U.S. Pat. 3,449,- 774, the toilet seat and/or toilet seat cover can be made of pressed-wood as well as a variety of plastics, the collar can be made of a plastic material rather than metal and can be longitudinally split so that it can be radial compressed before insertion and then permitted to lock itself in place by virtue of its tendency to spring back to its uncompressed form.

What is claimed is:

l. A toilet seat and hinge assembly comprising:

a hinge member, said hinge member having a body portion, said body portion having a first section and a second section, and first passage means through said first section, and means cooperating with said second section for securing said hinge assembly to a toilet;

a removable hinge pin means, said hinge pin means having a cylindrical body portion, said cylindrical body portion being positioned so as to pass through said hinge member first passage means, an enlargement at one end of said hinge pin means, said enlargement having a diameter substantially greater than said pin means cylindrical body portion, a resiliently mounted enlargement at the other end of said hinge pin means, said resiliently mounted enlargement having a diameter substantially greater than the said hinge pin means cylindrical body portion, but being compressible to a diameter approximately equal to said cylindrical body portion;

a toilet seat, second passage means in said toilet seat;

a toilet seat cover, third passage means in said toilet seat cover;

collar means, said collar means being mounted in said second passage means in said toilet seat in circumscribing relationship to said hinge pin means, and having an axial length less than the distance between said enlargement at the end of said hinge pin means and said resiliently mounted enlargement at the other end of said hinge pin means,

said hinge pin means being positioned so as to extend through said third passage mean, said first passage means and said collar means in said second passage means,

whereby said toilet seat and said toilet seat cover can be separated from said hinge member without dismounting said hinge member from the toilet.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said collar means has an inner diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the said hinge pin means cylindrical body portion, and an outer diameter slightly greater than the inner diameter of said toilet seat second passage means.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said other end of said pin means is bifurcated so as to provide two resilient legs, said enlargement mounted at said other end of said pinmeans being located intermediate the inner and outer ends of said resilient legs.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein said collar means has at least one inwardly beveled end.

5. The structure of claim 3, wherein each of said enlargements has a first longitudinally tapered surface and a second longitudinally tapered surface.

6. The structure of claim 5, wherein said collar means has, at the end proximate said hinge pin means other end, an inwardly beveled end, said inwardly beveled end cooperating with said first longitudinally tapered surface of said resiliently mounted enlargements to facilitate separation of said collar means and said pin means.

7. A toilet seat assembly comprising: I

(a) toilet seat, said toilet seat having a collar receiving passage means for receiving a pair of collars,

(b) a pair of collars, said collars being positioned in said collar receiving passage means,

(c) a pair of hinge posts, each of said hinge posts having a hinge pin receiving passage, and attachment means associated with said hinge post for fixing said hinge post to a toilet;

(d) a pair of removable hinge pins, said hinge pins each having an enlarged end and a resilient end, said resilient end having at least one enlarged region, said pair of collars, said hinge pin receiving passage in each of said pair of hinge posts, and said hinge pin receiving passage means in said toilet seat cover, being aligned to receive said pair of binge pins, each of said hinge pins being releasably locked in place by contact between a collar and said enlarged region.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein each of said hinge pins has a pair of resiliently mounted enlargements at said resilient end, said enlargements being tapered inwardly and in a direction toward the end opposite said enlarged end of the pin, said enlargement having a diameter greater than the inner diameter of each of said pair of collars.

9. The structure of claim 7, wherein each of said collar means has at least one inwardly beveled end.

10. The structure of claim 8, wherein each of said enlargements has a first longitudinally tapered surface and a second longitudinally tapered surface.

11. The structure of claim \10, wherein said collar means has, at the end proximate said enlargements, an inwardly beveled end, said inwardly beveled end cooperating with said first longitudinally tapered surface.

12. The structure of claim 7, wherein said hinge pin is bifurcated at one end so as to provide two resilient legs, said enlargements being located intermediate the inner and outer ends of said resilient legs.

13. The structure of claim 7, wherein said collar is force fit in said collar receiving passage means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,020,553 11/1'935 Hughes l6l69X 2,202,668 5/ 1940 Moore 4-236 2,748,420 6/ 195 6 Clover 16-1 69X 2,803,017 8/1957 Coggins 4236 3,055,015 9/ 1962 Silverman 4-240 3,152,356 10/1964 Parsons 16-16 9 3,277,500 10/ 1966 Carlson 4-236 3,383,799 5/1968 Anderson 1 6-169X 3,449,774 6/ 1969 Wilham 4-240 FOREIGN PATENTS 642,484 9/ 1950 Great Britain 4-240 781,087 3/ 1968 Canada 4-236 478,405 2/ 1953 Italy 4-240 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner D. B. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner 

